Outsiders throw $US60m into campaign ads

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To seasoned observers of US presidential campaigns, in which negative advertising is a dark and Machiavellian art, it probably comes as no surprise that the biggest jolt thus far to Democrat candidate and Vietnam war veteran Senator John Kerry should come from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

In a hard-hitting ad, the shadowy group, funded by wealthy Texan Republican Robert Perry, blasts Kerry for "betraying" Vietnam veterans with his youthful anti-war protests, concluding that he "lacks the capacity to lead".

A tough sell you might think, given President George Bush's lacklustre military record. But with Republican operatives gambling that you can fool some of the people some of the time, it might seem a risk worth taking.

The US media swarmed all over the Swift Boat ad, temporarily shifting debate from Bush's record as president to Kerry's in Vietnam. Yet such tactics can boomerang.

This week a rebuttal came from MoveOn, a group that uses the internet to rally members and raise money for ads.

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"George Bush used his father to get into the National Guard and, when the chips were down, went missing," runs the script. "Now he's allowing false advertising that attacks John Kerry, a man who asked to go to Vietnam and served with dignity and heroism."

The ad concludes by quoting Senator John McCain, a "true Republican war hero", who condemned the Swift Boat ad as "dishonest and dishonourable".

The Swift Boat and MoveOn campaigns are part of a new breed of ad funded by "527s", named after the tax code that allows political action committees to raise cash and register voters without endorsing a candidate.

Thus they can stump for politicians without violating US campaign finance laws.

Evan Tracey, who runs TNS Media Intelligence, says 527s account for $US60 million ($85 million) of the $US240 million spent so far on a record ad race. He expects the campaign's total ad budget could reach $US600 million, compared to $US200 million in 2000.